KIRKUS REVIEW

When a hard-of-hearing college senior has trouble understanding
a professor in a required class, she meets a deaf graduate student who
introduces her to a whole new world. When she begins to fall in love with him,
though, secrets from her past threaten their happiness.

Carli is hard of hearing, but her father’s disdain for what he
sees as her imperfection and her family’s unofficial motto of Handle it
on your own have made her feel shamed by her hearing loss. At the beginning
of her senior year of college, though, she has difficulty understanding a
professor with a big mustache using only her hearing aids; Reed, a deaf
graduate student in the class, encourages her to look at options the school offers
for hard-of-hearing students and helps her audit an ASL class, since she’s
never learned to sign. Soon Carli and Reed are an item, and Carli is quickly
enfolded into Reed’s circle of friends. For the first time in her life, she
feels at home and appreciated for exactly who she is. But a lifetime of
judgment and insecurity makes it hard for her to believe in love and
acceptance—and then a visit to her family leads to a horrifying encounter with
her father, and Carli learns a devastating secret that alters her hope for a
brighter future. Meanwhile, Reed knows Carli’s strength and determination could
get her through anything, but her slide into despair leaves him frustrated and
unsure how to help. Brown offers a powerful look into the world of hearing loss
in this emotional debut, though Carli’s constant internal conflict and refrain
of “I’m not good enough” get a little excessive. Nonetheless, this is a notable
and groundbreaking debut by an author to watch.

Be the first to discover new talent!
Each week, our editors select the one author and one book they believe to be most worthy of your attention and highlight them in our Pro Connect email alert.
Sign up here to receive your FREE alerts.